At & , LLC, we regularly advise and counsel parents of children with special needs, including autism. When a child is diagnosed with a developmental disability like autism, the parents should consult a...
Early autism diagnoses on the rise
read more
Guardianships & Conservatorships
Autism awareness month: Conservatorship or power of attorney?
When an adult child or other loved one is on the spectrum who handles his or her finances The answer cannot be the same for each family or individual. Generally, two legal approaches exist. In the first, the court may appoint a conservator to handle financial affairs....
MIT and Colorado are centers of important Down syndrome research
As we recently discussed, March 21 was World Down Syndrome Day. The date has significance because people with Down syndrome have three copies of chromosome 21, instead of the usual two. Here in Colorado, the day was marked by an annual celebration at the state Capitol...
Psychiatric advance directives: Is there a Colorado equivalent?
Mental illness spans a continuum and reaching the right diagnosis and mix of medications can take years. Some who struggle with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or severe depression, to name a few, recognize the symptoms of an oncoming mental health crisis and check...
IRS clarifies characteristics of ABLE accounts after tax reforms
On December 4, the IRS issued a Newswire about new ABLE accounts that benefit adults with disabilities and changes from recent federal tax reform. In September, we posted a blog about ABLE accounts, explaining that they were created as a vehicle for saving money to...
Personal service requirement in guardianship proceedings
The Colorado probate courts can expedite guardianship proceedings in emergency situations. In these cases, the emergency guardian appointment cannot last more than 60 days.A temporary (emergency) guardianship can be converted to a permanent guardianship, but service...
Who makes decisions when a disabled child turns 18?
Developmental disabilities exist across a broad spectrum. Diagnosis may occur at birth or with failures to hit benchmarks in the first years. In other instances, it may take until adolescence or even early adulthood for such a disability to become apparent. Autism in...
ABLE accounts: Smart choice for some people with disabilities
For years, to preserve eligibility for Supplemental Security Income or SSI, a federal government cash benefit, and the federal-state Medicaid program -- called Health First Colorado in our state -- people with disabilities have had to remain relatively impoverished....
Honoring and protecting family members with autism
At & LLC, one of our foremost professional goals is to help families with children or other relatives who have autism or other intellectual or developmental disabilities such as Down syndrome or Fragile X...
Escape from the Mayo after disagreements about treatment
Last year, a clash between doctors and a young woman and her family culminated in an escape/abduction. The family framed it as an escape, the hospital as an abduction and reported it to local law enforcement. This highlights a growing trend of patients leaving...